Water flows through us and is essential for life; it’s 65% of what we are made of and covers 71% of the planet.  We are the elements and are connected to them, to each other and to the planet. Our emotions flow with the magnetic flexibility of the element of water. Let’s continue our brief exploration of the elements this week and see where water takes us.

Water

Liquid water is essential for life. Nova science tells us that “...because a liquid is always in flux, it effectively conveys vital substances like metabolites and nutrients from one place to another, whether it's around a cell, an organism, an ecosystem, or a planet.” Water affects us emotionally, physically and spiritually. Our survival depends on it. So our question here is, “How do we see water in art?”

When you add the two: water + art = our mind conjures images of watercolor paints diluting colors, paint brushes dripping and abstract pieces of art that appear to be melting before our very eyes. We often simply associate the physical element directly with a canvas or piece of paper, drenched in liquid water. There are hundreds of variables here, which are all very ‘technical’ in nature.

Sure you can also envision water fountains, the photography of Martin Waugh’s liquid sculptures or the early Renaissance paintings of Albrecht Dürer, but what about the deeper meaning, beyond the physical? Water is almost always associated with sentiment, which I believe places most art in this category. Artists express themselves through their experiences, emotions and hearts. With this ‘flow’ they often reveal their deepest most inner workings. Is your art a flood of emotions or calculated symbols and technical equations or both?

Water as a symbol is commonly associated with emotion, purity, fertility, life, birth, cleansing and wisdom. Imagine an overflow of emotion onto canvas. Imagine pouring your soul into a freshly made cast of bronze. Feel the power of the tides within your creative works and express your truest feelings within your art. Water can bring out the saddest and most painful memories and alternately help us burst through invisible walls to share extreme joy. I’ve created dozens of works after floating for hours under a dark starlit sky or whilst sitting in a candlelit tub.

Take time to embrace the qualities of the element of water and see where it takes you and your art.

Remember: grow; learn; conserve; preserve; create; question; educate; change; and free your mind.

About: Kelli Klymenko is an artist, a faculty member and the Marketing & Events Coordinator at Sedona Arts Center: a gathering place where artists can learn, teach, and exhibit their works at the center’s School of the Arts and Fine Art Gallery in uptown Sedona.